I have a little style crush on blogger/stylist Elin Kling. Mostly the combination of too-glamorous trousers with little knits. Hello Winter, you are done.
xBlanaid
Archive for » 2010 «
I bought these Frantic Meerkat prints almost two years ago. I have a few more and aim to buy them all, but these two are my absolute favourites. They make me laugh every.single.time I see them. Genius!
Buy them >here<
xBlanaid
You remember? You remember the craziness. You said you wanted to be locked in a room full of grief, so you could write their name over and over, and cover the walls in thoughts of life without them because if you forgot them you would have failed. How to fail them is so incomprehensible to you.
I wonder what we would write, if all we could do was write. If the only way we could clear our minds of grief of loss was to stay in that room, and write all those words, memories, feelings all over the walls. In all those scrawls and lines and tumbling thoughts, all that truth. Maybe that’s what grief is at it’s core - the inability to avoid the undeniable truths.
xBlanaid
Category: Fancy Friday
One Comment
A few images from my stuffed inspiration folders. Please do help me credit them if you can!
I actually have the bedstead in the first photo - I do love it. These are all from my folder for turning Shutterbug in to a shop as well as a studio- which is really gathering steam! Exciting times ahead.
xBlanaid
Here’s a little wishlist I put together this evening, following minor meltdown over previous post photo. It’s subject to change - as in - be added to….
I’ve linked to the item where possible - apologies in advance if you like it, buy it and then blame me for funding issues. Personally I blame Alex Donald and Pa Byrne for introducing me to Asos, so let’s all just blame themfor EVERYTHING! Yay! ; )
H&M Tassled jacket €49.95
Topshop Tie Dye Marble t-shirt. - £35.00
ASOS Black beaded headband - €60.88
Topshop Wisteria Chiffon Wedges - £70.00
Jeffrey Campbell Litas - $159.99
ASOS BLACK Cornelli Detail Mesh Maxi Dress - €125.73
Topshop Stud Open Back Vest - £28.00
Black Milk Lace Flares - $70.00
Penneys tooled bag - €11.00
xBlanaid
I go through phases of loving or loathing the ring/bracelet situation - but I’ve never been a huge fan of necklaces. Until I saw this photo. This photo has made me change my style wish-list completely. This photo MADE me buy a costume necklace and have my eye on another. I’m also now heading back toward grey and white on the clothes front. Stripping it all back - which can only mean one thing - selling all my old stuff. Hmmm. Must think about that seriously.
xBlanaid
Category: Inspiration : Style
3 Comments
I love the inspirational images from Ikea’s new Swedish website - ‘Life at Home.’ The styling in their new 2011 catalogue is pretty nice too..
xBlanaid
Category: Inspiration : Interiors
2 Comments
First up : My outfit today is a bit of a mash up. It’s warm, it’s cold, it’s comfy. Shorts from Electric Picnic, still hanging around. Still wearing the long shawl, because, while I have be-short-ed bare legs, it actually covers the back of them. Which for some reason makes me feel more covered up. Even though, technically, yep, legs still out.
Cardigan : €20.00 Fanci Shmancy downstairs in Flip, Temple Bar. My new favourite place in Dublin. Much luck to the chaps on their new place!
Top : €1.00 originally Urban Outfitters. Charity Shop.
Black shawl cardigan : €86.00 courtesy of American Apparel.
Short necklace : €5.00 Lucy’s Lounge, Temple Bar.
Long necklace : Present, charity shop.
Shorts : €5.00 mens jeans cut up, Penneys.
Bandanna as belt : €6.95 H&M
Gold belt : €20.00 Zara
Socks : Free, robbed from sister.
Shoes : apx€120.00 Zara.
Ring : around four years old, from Tempted.
Part two : I got some new long hair. Yes,all bought and paid for and not grown myself. I got it in Anna Danielles in Urlingford, Co. Kilkenny. I’ve been toddling out to Joan there for the last four years. They dyed this ‘flip in’ extension to match my current ’smokey’ blonde situation. No clips, just a wired kind of set up. Simples. .
And finally : My boyfriend has to go to LA a lot, which is sad-face, but he goes to vintage stores while he’s there and brings me back things (happy-face!) like this - a sweatshirt that has an panther and a snowmobile on it…. I mean, what more could you need on a sweatshirt?! Thank you!
xBlanaid
Category: Blanaid's Style, Shopping : Online
8 Comments
I genuinely love the new Oxfam t-shirts. created in association with a range of Irish Designers. The collection is called ‘We Are Tee’ and includes designs by Joanne Hynes, Peter O’Brien, Eilis Boyle, Una Burke and Alison Connelly.
Prices range from €30- €35 and are exclusively available to purchase from A/wear.com. All orders come with free delivery direct to your door courtesy of A|wear. All the proceeds from the sale of the T-shirts will go to Oxfam Ireland.
Beautiful styling by the lovely Angela Scanlon, shot by the talented Johnny Savage. I also recognise two faces in the above shot, a Miss Alex Donald and Kelly Barnes - don’t they all look fantastic? Well played ladies! : )
xBlanaid
Category: Inspiration : Style, Shopping : Online
2 Comments
I’ll be needing these boots. In the above colour and possibly in red and black too. In fact I believe I could wear these for the rest of my life and be happy. (on a shoe-owning happy level, not in general.)
Jeffrey Campbell Litas Via Solestruck
xBlanaid
Category: Inspiration : Style, Shopping : Online
10 Comments
This man, Eduordo Recife is such a genius it kind of makes my head hurt. I’ve been a fan for a couple of years now and I’m not sure why I didn’t share his work here before. Maybe I did…anyway - he definitely deserves to appear again if my feeble mind has forgotten the first time around.
His collage work is beyond comparison, in my humble opinion. Sometimes I feel like giving up all the other work in my life and locking myself away ’til I can achieve something even remotely like this. However, I think some people are just innately genius, and no amount of locking away can make me him. Which upsets me a bit. But at least I can admire him - at least he exists. Does that make sense? I’ll stop now. No wait - just to say I love him. I mean, his work. Okay. Yeah - one ticket for the local Stalker Convention please.
Check out his commercial work >here< and his personal work >here< You can also buy relatively inexpensive prints of his work >here<
xBlanaid
Category: Inspiration : Media
6 Comments
Frou Frou - Let Go
Band of Horses - The Funeral
You?
xBlanaid
Category: Music Film Books
7 Comments
Tired month - resort to black. It takes less effort, thought, energy. It makes you feel a little more invisible, like maybe you don’t have to engage so that you can just get on with your work. Yes, it allows you to be a little hermit.
This is one of those hermit-y months, but it’s nearly over. Thank the small lord. Thanks also to American Apparel, who sent me this ’shawl’ cardigan. At first I thought - ‘I’ll never wear that.’ Oh how wrong I was. I pretty much wore it for the duration of September. It goes with everything, it feels nice, it’s long. It has sleeves. It has nice shoulders. It doesn’t swamp you. It’s a shawl. It’s a cardigan. I love it.
Top image courtesy of Ciuin Tracey.
xBlanaid
Shawl Cardigan - €86.00 American Apparel
T-shirt - €7.90 H&M
Leggings in first image - €4.50 Charity Shop, originally Silence & Noise.
…in second - again, €4.50 Charity Shop, originally Silence & Noise.
Boots - €80.00 Zara
Necklace & ring - gifts.
Fur collar - €10.00 vintage
Category: Blanaid's Style, Shopping : Online
9 Comments
I am so behind on my thank you posts - but better late than never - right? Eek!
Rosemary MacCabe from the Irish Times asked us in Shutterbug Studio to design the perfect Summer t-shirt back in June. Yes JUNE. And here is the post in September. I’m a sham and I know I am.
We decided to design a wolf t-shirt, as wolf t-shirts are generally deadly and we wanted to be kind of deadly. However, we then decided that there could be nothing better than a PRIVATE DETECTIVE WOLF who smokes a pipe, and so that is what we created.
My friend David loved the design so we had one made especially for him to wear - which he did recently while in Los Angeles. I think this means our design can now come with the tagline ‘AS SEEN IN HOLLYWOOD’ or something, right?! : )
I hope you like it! Thanks again times a million to Rosemary for asking Shutterbug to take part…
See it on the Irish Times website >here< Visit Rosemary MacCabe’s blog >here< and her Irish Times fashion blog ‘FashMob’ >here<
xBlanaid
Sometimes you know that it isn’t really over.
Sometimes you’re right.
xBlanaid
Category: Fancy Friday
One Comment
This is brilliant for those of you with a few minutes to spare, who are into design/graphics/art or just y’know, mucking about for a little bit. You have to arrange little squares of colour accroding to where they come on the spectrum
I did this test back in April - hence the age bracket - I wasn’t cheating! My friend sent it to me - he got zero, which is THE best possible score. I got four…which isn’t too bad considering my slight issue with green/blue!
Just found it again now so thought I’d share! Check it out >here<
xBlanaid
I was asked to style Rosanna Davison for a shoot, to appear in the Evening Herald’s ‘The Dubliner’ magazine. It was their ‘SEX!’ issue and the inspiration was Marion Cotillard’s shoot with Interview magazine. The direction was that ‘the idea is to be as alluring as possible without overstepping the boundaries of decency.’ Alluring…I do love that word.
Anyway - to the details!
The clothes are from Bolero boutique in Dalkey, Co. Dublin (Iris from Bolero was just SO helpful and lovely), Topshop and Zara.
The photographer is the quite incredible Kip Carroll, he really is just feckin’ TALENTED. I like his use of lighting, the set ups and also how friendly he was - nice to work with pleasant people! Speaking of which, Rosanna is so easy to work with - she knows what she’s doing and is just naturally quite a lovely person to be around.
It was shot on location at Mahaffy House, 38 North Great George’s Street, Dublin 1, owned by the phenomenal Desiree Shortt. Words can not describe…just try and meet her some day. Amazing.
Anyway as you can see from my many adjectives - it was just one of those shoots that ends up being a NICE experience. Thank you to The Dubiner’s dapper editor Eoin Higgins for having me on board…and thanks for the chocolate!
Finally, it was interesting to dip my toe back in to the world of fashion styling again - you remember just how much work is involved on these big productions! You also realise that, as deadlines loom, people will be either incredible helpful, or not. I was lucky that everyone I encountered was the former!
xBlanaid
SEE ALL OF THE IMAGES AFTER THE JUMP.
Category: Blanaid featured in..., My work : Styling
7 Comments
The other day I had a chance to meander through the interweb… which is actually a fairly rare occurrence these days so I very much try to take full advantage. I stumbled on the blog Pop Culture Afternoon and I just love it - especially the beautiful outfit posts. Here are a few of my favourites above.
I finally got a camera sorted (thanks D) so hopefully my outfit posts will be a little more interesting. : )
Apologies for the absence yesterday - in fact there have been a good few days here and there where I haven’t been a regular blogger-type person. I don’t mean to offer excuses but, apart from work, my hospital appointments do toddle on and take up time - but it looks like the next three months are all my own so happy days! Although…a little holiday may well be in order in that time! : )
Ramble ramble ramble….
xBlanaid
Category: Inspiration : Style
7 Comments
The day is controlled and full, with hours at times stretched or stunted. Words are created and lost before they’re said, because of the thought of sleep or the sleep itself. Wake in dark, return in dark and spend the light wrapped up in dark, save for one moment. In that moment, remember how you survived the night and fought the dark so you could feel the light again. The thought that woke you still remains:
“everything will be okay in the end, and if it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”
You will survive this. Things may change, yes, but you remain, and that is all we need.
xBlanaid
Category: Fancy Friday
3 Comments
Here are two outfits I didn’t know I needed - and now I do. I put them together on H&M’s Fashion Studio page - which is both lethal and genius. Free ads anyone?!
Don’t click >here< to visit, I just spent 30 minutes of work time playing around with this thing…
xBlanaid
Category: Blanaid's Style, Recommended Sites, Shopping : Online
3 Comments
James Vincent McMorrow
Mick Flannery
Rhob Cunningham
* * * * *
We were lucky enough to be allocated tickets for the free gig to celebrate Set Theatre’s first birthday last night - and it was absolutely amazing! It was like a mini-Electric Picnic, except with seats, a choice of alcohol, and y’know, central heating. : )
Highlights? So many, but James Vincent McMorrow and Mick Flannery clinch it…I have been slightly in love with James Vincent McMorrow’s music since the Rhythm and Roots festival here in Kilkenny, saw him at Electric Picnic and was delighted at the prospect of seeing him again at Set - and yes, he was just superb. He’s playing Set again in November, tickets are €15.00 and honestly, if I never recommend another thing in my life, please consider making this a night out for yourself. Set is a brilliant venue and he is just a brilliant man. * sigh *
My cousin has long been extolling the virtues of Mick Flannery, and I didn’t really take heed, ’til last night. Mother of God. He is incredible.
Also…. Lisa Hannigan was beautiful and her vocals as amazing as ever, but her Jonsi-like version of ‘Personal Jesus’ was pretty phenomenal. Jerry Fish - kind of fell in love with him. Rhob Cunningham - BRILLIANT and quite hilarious.
I could go on and on, but I’ll leave you with some links and hope that you enjoy them. Oh, and Happy Birthday Set! ; )
xBlanaid
Category: Out and About
2 Comments
“You have to start loving yourself pretty early on to make the transition, because if you are finding flaws in your perfect 24-year old body, you are really going to be a mess when you are 44 or 64. When you are younger, you want to be perfect, but later you learn that perfect isn’t really that interesting.”
— Susan Sarandon, on aging gracefully
I wonder would I have taken this on board when I was 24…
xBlanaid
Film still of Eva Green in ‘Cracks’
Category: Fancy Friday, Inspiration : Media
5 Comments
Oh this is like a dream. I love it. Created by Attack for W&K in New York :
“Lunch is critically important to W+K NY. Our office sits between Soho, Tribeca and the W. Village, so we’re spoiled with our pick of great restaurants in the neighborhood. Attack designed and hand-painted a wall in our space with the names of some of our favorite spots that keep the W+K NY team happy throughout the day.”
I would LOVE one of these in the studio…
xBlanaid
See more >here<
Category: Inspiration : Art & Design
4 Comments
Lotte Agaton is such an incredible interiors stylist…her use of dark colours, wood, and coincidentally, ALL of the floors in her images make me happy!
see more >here<
xBlanaid
This socks thing is probably a little out of control, but it’s f-f-f-freezing in the studio at the moment! These are grey woolen tights cut up to make the ’socks’ extra bulky. Shoes as before, and these are the jeans I happened to be wearing in my first ever outfit post! Ahhhh memoriiiiies! (Of eh…just a year ago…)
Apologies for tired face. Any other self-employed people find August to be a particularly scary/tough month? We seem to be spending the start of September just cleaning up after it…
Above is a shockingly grainy camera-phone photo from a wedding I went to the day I got my hair dyed ’smoky blonde’- although you can see the grey tone itself more clearly in this photo. In the socks photo, it’s definitely a bit more washed out looking and heading back towards golden blonde. Thinking about going white/silver…
Oh and the dress I wore to the wedding was a length of tulle I found in the fabric section of Lucy’s Lounge in Temple Bar., which cost me €20.00. I then spent €9.00 on nude underwear from Penneys, wrapped the tulle around me in the shape of a dress and sewed it on to my underwear. The belt is vintage, the shoes are from Topshop, the diamond pinky ring and necklace are vintage… and how dapper does Dave look?! ; )
xBlanaid
Category: Blanaid's Style, Hair & Makeup
15 Comments
Slightly in love with some of these looks from ASOS. I never go on to the ASOS site though. Not because I don’t love it…but I like my money right where I can see it - in my landlord’s pocket. : )
xBlanaid
Category: Inspiration : Style
7 Comments
Well - kind of - I did this outfit post on Thursday morning (it really has been one of those weeks) and on Thursday afternoon I dyed my hair a kind of grey colour. After a few washes, it is now best described as a ’smokey blonde’ depending on your colour calling skills. Anyway! I’ll do a proper post on my hair this week, once I can figure out how to photograph it properly. : )
How amazing is this jumper? It belongs to my friend D, but I’m determined to BORROW it for a length of time as yet to be determined. The eagle is made from gold thread - the proper 70’s hardcore kind. Eagles may be the new ponies.
xBlanaid
D’s Jumper - $25.00 Thrift store, LA.
Necklace - €5.00 Lucy’s Lounge
Bandana - H&M
Trousers - €30.00 apx Topshop
Florence & Fred in Tesco Shoes - €4.00 in a charity shop - unworn - my mam got them for me for me..
Socks - D’s….BORROWED.
Category: Blanaid's Style
7 Comments
I don’t have pierced ears, and I find clip-ons quite uncomfortable. I do love Jonsi. All of this leads me to believe and deduce that I should own one of this feather ear cuffs from Style Hurricane. They cost around $35.00 and I must own one..or two. Not sure which - maybe just the silver crosses, or go mad and get the silver crosses and feathers. Actually I think I’d get the silver crosses with >these< feathers AND a second pair with the red feathers. Am in love.
Buy them via Style Hurricane.
xBlanaid
Category: Inspiration : Style, Shopping : Online
3 Comments
Slightly in love with her entire look lately.
xBlanaid
Category: Inspiration : Style
3 Comments
Recent Comments